Closing Dog
by IPP
Summary: As Joey tries to move forward in life, a certain Kaiba makes it impossible for him to do anything but look back. Puppyshipping. In-Progress.
1. I

**Closing Dog**

by **icypinkpop **

Pairing: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: All rights to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, boys being boys. Will add more later if I think of them.

Author's note: This'll probably be a few-parter fiction, hopefully long enough to be moderately entertaining. Might get lengthier if I find myself in the mood to expand on what's there.

It's so hard for me to keep away from the Puppyshipping. Characterization can be difficult, especially for boys as stubborn as this, but I'll try my best to keep them somewhat true to their personas. I think one of the reasons I like to write for this pairing so much is because I tend to see the couple differently from how they're portrayed in a lot of fan creations- I interpret Joey and Seto's relationship a certain way and I like to express my take on it through writing.

If anybody is a little confused about the title/story description, I'll leave down here a little definition from the Free Online Dictionary:

clos·er

_n._

**1. **One that closes: The closer of the shop has to lock up.

Things will start making more sense as the story gets going in later chapters. Enjoy!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"…Whaaaa?!"

It was all he could do to stare speechlessly in front of him. The seven-dollars-and-ninety-five-cents-plus-tax sandwich he had been holding fell promptly from his hands and into his lap, sending lettuce and baloney spilling out over his front as he gazed with empty fingers.

"Joey," Mai replied, raising one eyebrow slowly at the gesture. "Do you have to be so sloppy about it?"

"You're…" Said blond stayed frozen in shock, not yet having noticed the sudden loss of his lunch. He gulped and turned his head to the side, as if uncertain whether he might have somehow gotten water in his ears.

"…Honestly, kiddo, you can't tell me this is coming as a big surprise." Leaning across the table, Mai set her drink down and reached out to grasp one of Joey's tense hands. Her eyes softened as she watched him. "I need to move on. I'm not the kind of girl who stays in one place for too long. I thought you knew that about me."

"You're leavin' Domino?!" Joey sat up and leaned across the table in surprise, brain kicking back into gear. Today had been a normal day, until now, that was. He had woken up, had the usual father-son interaction, fought with one of his bosses over the phone, gotten a call from Mai just as he was leaving home, and met her there at his favorite bistro. Nothing strange. He certainly hadn't been expecting this kind of bombshell.

"Why?!"

Mai sighed and shook her head. "I told you. I have new things to do in new places, Joey." She averted her gaze before glancing back up, startling Joey strangely with the resulting glimmer. He was all too familiar with that stubborn look. He had seen it in Duelist Kingdom, in Battle City…It was one of Mai's trademarks. And it wasn't giving him any sense of condolence.

"I'm already lined up for a job at a Duel Monsters tournament center in Belgium. They reviewed my dueling history and hired me on the spot. I have to be in Brussels tomorrow morning for training."

Joey's mouth felt dry. His interactions with Mai had been off and on since he had met her, certainly, but he had never expected she would just…go that far away overnight without giving him some kind of warning! Was she doing this out of spite, somehow? Had he done something to make her angry? Man, he was always pissing people off. The swelling on the back of his head was enough to remind him of that…

"Well…'scuse me for askin'," he managed with his usual edge. "But why didn't ya tell me, you know, before today? How was I supposed to know?!"

"…" With a visible slump in her posture, Mai gently grasped the hand she held and guided it down to the table, covering it with her fingers. Joey could feel the tips of her manicured nails on his skin. He was also aware of the hair on his arms pricking up.

"I didn't get the call until last night," she revealed, blond curls bouncing around her face familiarly. "You're the first one I've told. I was going to save you for last…"

Joey felt his face trying to contort into some expression.

"Goodbyes have never been my strong suit," she eventually continued, staring hardly at her sparkling water before bringing her eyes back up slowly. "I'll miss you, Joey, but I don't want to hear about any sniveling on your end, got it?"

"…Mai!" Shaking his head in disbelief, the teenage boy looked down to their clasped hands and then back up. He half realized that it was a little silly to be so shocked. Mai had always been an independent woman who played by her own rules. Still, who would anticipate that something like that would happen so abruptly?! He had thought they had gotten to know one another so much better over the past few months…And now she was just gonna get up and leave?

"You've got my number," Mai replied to the small outburst, flashing a shadow of a smile and winking. "And you might not have realized, but that's not something I hand out to just anyone. Do me a favor and call me sometime, okay? I'll be waiting to hear that goofy voice of yours in my voicemail."

"…" Joey let his shoulders relax and stared at Mai disbelievingly. He was beginning to realize he shouldn't flatter himself, thinking she was doing this to get back at him for anything. Mai didn't beat around the bush when she was angry, and Joey couldn't be on her radar enough to have provoked this kind of reaction. He was starting to think he should be grateful that she had remembered to tell him at all...But he didn't feel it. He didn't want her to be telling him this. Why couldn't she just stick around?

"Geez, tough crowd. I was hoping to get a chuckle out of you." Mai clicked her tongue and finally let go of the hand. "Come on, Joey. Wipe that sad little look off your face. So the distance between us is going to get bigger, big deal. It's a small world anyways, hun."

Joey shook his head, staring intently even though his eyes stung a little. Nope, it definitely wasn't a dream. He watched Mai with unwavering clearness, afraid to forget what she looked like if she left before he memorized her face well enough. When would he see her again? Would it be a couple months, a year, a few years? Never? When had he become this attached to her? He spent far less time with her than around his usual friends, he had never gone to the same school as her, and yet…

"Not small 'nough," he managed and glanced briefly over at the black checkbook that was placed on the edge of the table by their waiter. He could only watch as Mai pulled a couple of bills from her purple wallet and slipped them into the small folder, blinking at the expression that was turned his way.

"Well don't rush yourself to pay for your half," she replied, smile betraying the falseness of her apparent annoyance. "It's okay, I'll cover it this time. Maybe I can count on you to buy me a coffee the next time I'm back in town."

Before Joey could say anything in response, Mai had slid out of her seat and was hoisting her knapsack over her shoulder. Instinctively, Joey stood up and tensed. It was happening! Would this really be the last time he would see her? Who would be around to give him _that_ kind of smile? Who would call him a loser but not really mean it?

The blonde reached out and Joey felt her hand on his shoulder, though he didn't dare look away from her face to see it.

"Like I said, no tears," she said with her characteristic flavor, letting her hand slide down his arm. "Listen. You've come far since I met you, Joey, but you had better not change too much on me while I'm gone, all right?" Joey felt something in his chest starting to tingle when she winked at him again.

"Maybe I'll pull a few strings and invite you to my tournament this summer as a special guest. You can show all the amateurs there a thing or two. What do you say?"

No, no, no! This wasn't happening…it wasn't…it was.

"…Yeah, 'course," he finally replied, voice cracking even as he forced a smile. "Th-they won't know what hit 'em."

"Good." With a toss of her long hair, Mai pushed her chair in underneath the edge of the table and turned away, flashing Joey a peace sign with one eye closed. "I'll expect you to keep that promise. I won't have my special guest losing out and making me look bad." She pivoted on her heel, leaving Joey to look at her back.

"See you around."

The door of the bistro had clinked shut before Joey could come back to the moment. Standing next to the table with a pink slice of tomato on his tennis shoe, he closed gnawed at his bottom lip and remembered to breathe. Around the mess he had unintentionally made, a man in jeans and a black baseball cap began brushing a broom at his feet. Joey ached everywhere. He felt like he had just taken a very literal beating, a sensation he was familiar with.

Reaching into his pocket, he felt around for his cell phone and felt a guilty pang in his chest when he realized he had forgotten his wallet altogether. Then again, he was sure it wouldn't have had enough money in it to pay for the big lunch he had just dropped all over himself, anyways. He eventually found his beat up old phone and clicked through the settings, checking, as he always did, to see how many units he had left on his Pay-As-You-Go. He winced at the number. Seven. Swallowing, taking only a couple of moments to think of who to use them on, he clumsily dialed a familiar number with his thumb and raised the phone to his ear, wanting but refusing to look back at Mai's abandoned seat as he pushed out of the bistro through the sliding glass doors and dragged himself onto the street.

A voice answered. "Hey Yug'," he muttered and avoided a parking meter, feeling like there were twenty extra pounds slung over each of his shoulders. He paused and reached up with one arm to wipe at his eyes with his sleeve.

"Nothin' just…" He paused. His voice was a little shaky, but he could play it off. He wasn't about to make someone else's night as difficult as his was becoming. Things were hard enough as they were.

"Mind if I come over?"

What a way to spend his day off.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

My first chapters are always short. Don't worry; more coming in the very near future!


	2. II

**Closing Dog**

by **icypinkpop **

Pairing: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: All rights to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, sexuality, boys being boys. Will add more later if I think of them.

Author's note: This'll probably be a few-parter fiction, hopefully long enough to be moderately entertaining. Might get lengthier if I find myself in the mood to expand on what's there.

It's so hard for me to keep away from the Puppyshipping. Characterization can be difficult, especially for boys as stubborn as this, but I'll try my best to keep them somewhat true to their personas. I think one of the reasons I like to write for this pairing so much is because I tend to see the couple differently from how they're portrayed in a lot of fan creations- I interpret Joey and Seto's relationship a certain way and I like to express my take on it through writing.

Enjoy!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Joey? Earth to Joey!"

"He hasn't touched his lunch, guys…"

"Hey Joey! If you don't want your Jello…"

It took a few moments for the words to get through his skull. Realizing he had been staring at his tray, Joey glanced up into three concerned faces, clenched hand relaxing a little around his fork.

"Dude, you okay?" Tristan asked, raising one eyebrow as he flicked his straw wrapper in Joey's direction. "Usually that food doesn't stand a chance once you sit down."

"Oh…" The blond looked around for a moment, taking in all the confused expressions. He glanced over to find purple eyes already staring in his direction. Right, Yugi was the only one he had told. The questioning expression on his friend's face suggested his secret had been kept thus far.

"…Go ahead, Yug," he muttered and set to work on his peas, suddenly too hungry to want to explain everything to the group himself. Yugi gave him an 'if you're sure' kind of look and glanced back at their gang, barely tall enough, as usual, to peek over the edge of the lunchroom table.

"Mai left Domino last night."

"What?!" Joey purposely avoided looking at anybody when a hand clasped his shoulder and shook him, perfectly aware whom that belonged to.

"No way, man!" Tristan yelled a little too loudly for an indoor establishment, oblivious to the laughter and the few glares that sprang up around their table as a result. "Left, like, _left _left?! Forever?!"

"Real reassurin' there, pal," the blond replied through clenched teeth, stomach twisting with a lack of appetite for the first time in at least a few weeks. Not enjoying all the attention, he shoved his tray away from himself a little too hard, sending it skidding towards the end of the table. Yugi reached up to snatch it before it could topple over, not in time, however, to save his carton of chocolate milk that went tumbling over the edge and hit the floor with a thump.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Tristan thought aloud, looking at Yugi for an answer and then at Joey when he received a shrug. "She didn't tell me OR Yugi? Just you?"

"…What does it matter?" Groaning, Joey slumped in his seat and rested his cheek listlessly on his fist, scratching furiously at a sticky spot on the table. "She just kinda…you know, up 'n went. No warning, or anything. That's sorta…not cool, isn't it?"

"Well, you know Mai," Yugi eventually spoke up, putting his small hand on Joey's shoulder. "This isn't the first time she's done something like that. I'm sure she'll visit." His smile faded a little when the taller boy made no motion to look or sit up.

"...It'll be okay. Try not to take it so hard." At this, Yugi began to look sort of embarrassed, like he had thought of something he really shouldn't say. Perhaps unluckily for Joey, the green-eyed male at the end of the table was the one who spoke up next.

"Yeah. Everybody knows about you and her," Duke replied, filing the nails on his left hand as he listened in from the other end of the table. "Tough break."

"Me 'n…" Joey managed to look up this time, only then catching onto the connotations of what was being implied there. Tensing visibly, he shook his head and sat up further, waving his hands around animatedly. "What? No way! Me 'n Mai weren't…you know…!"

"Doing it?"

"No way!" Painfully aware of how flushed his face had to be getting, Joey growled a little and lammed a fist down on the table, staring off in the other direction. "She's just my friend, you know? I'd be upset like this if one of YOU guys just got up and left, too!" Why was that so embarrassing?

"I don't know that my face would be that red," Duke replied, shrugging one shoulder. "But yeah, I guess I'd be pretty surprised."

"Come on, Duke," Yugi admonished quietly even as snickers began to break out around them. Joey began to feel like he wanted to die. He really hadn't thought about Mai that way before…well, okay, maybe sometimes (he was a teenager), but not outside of the realm of a 'Wow, gee, imagine if that happened!' kind of fantasy-dream. Mai was just special. She made him laugh and grin, and feel embarrassed, and always made him work his hardest. She had bailed him and their group out on more than one occasion, but always made it clear that she was being kind, not stupid. Above all, she always held her head high, even through things that would make grown men throw up their arms and cry. Joey was pretty sure he had shed more tears over the whole Marik thing than she had, and he hadn't been the one teetering on the edge of life and eternal torment. She was…somebody Joey would miss. A whole lot.

"Whoa. Someone call a doctor, I think his heart's stopped."

"Guh…" Sighing and trying to ignore Duke, realizing he shouldn't be surprised that those comments were coming from him (their status as 'friends' had never quite gotten rid of a slight competitive, teasing spark between them, for some reason), Joey forced a narrow-eyed smile and looked around for his milk, sighing sadly when he realized it had taken a tumble.

"Hey, come on, man, lighten up. It's okay," Tristan responded eventually, apparently able to see Joey's distress. "She'll be back sometime."

"Hey, guys!"

Yugi, having been in the middle of setting his own chocolate milk in front of Joey, turned and further alerted the group to the presence of someone new in the cafeteria. A white mass of hair was bouncing over in their general direction and the blond paused, surprised out of his current slump.

"Bakura?"

"Hello," Ryou Bakura greeted as he paused a few feet in front of the table, pausing in his movement long enough for Joey to get a good look at him. He noticed with a bitten lip the darkness under the brown eyes, the grey complexion and slightly scattered appearance that he saw in his own reflection if he went to bed too late and woke up too early the next morning. It was weird. Every time he got a decent look at Bakura over these past few months, he almost seemed to look even worse. Not sure he should comment on it, however, he watched curiously when a white hand thrust a small cluster of something black out in their direction, puzzled.

"Eh?"

"Mokuba just dropped by the school," the newcomer explained, silencing himself a moment as if out of breath. "He…He spotted me and told me that I might as well hand them out."

"Mokuba? What are they?" Tristan was leaning forward and looking at the papers. Moodiness forgotten, Joey peeked closer and tilted his head, able to see some kind of print on the tops of the sheets. He was just able to make out a name at the bottom of the top one. His eye twitched.

"Birthday invitations." Ryou dutifully stepped around to each member of the group and handed one paper quietly to each of them, pausing with a fatigued expression once he had finished. Yugi spoke up before Joey could think of how to.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" he inquired, the worried look from a few minutes ago returning to his face. "You seem a little, well…out of it."

"…Cannot complain," Ryou responded with a hintings of what looked to be a very difficult smile, eyeing the spot beside Joey at the end of the table. For once reading the atmosphere, Joey scooted over and watched the Briton gratefully sit down, looking down at his paper and the print over it.

"…Thirteenth birthday?" he read aloud and looked to Bakura, watching his quick nod.

"Yes. I was late to class this morning and one of the Kaiba Corporation limousines drove past," he explained to four pairs of curious eyes, speaking a bit quickly through the first part of that sentence. "Mokuba stepped out and told me to give an invitation to each of you. He's having a birthday celebration at his home tonight and told me he hopes that you all will come." He paused yet again, the darkness under his eyes seemingly intensifying. "He also says that you needn't worry about bringing gifts. He would just like all of your company."

"Birthday party?" Blinking, Joey looked back down at the invitation, raising his eyebrows. "Tonight?" He was reading that date correctly, wasn't he? "…Kinda late notice, don'tcha think?" he inquired, glancing up at Bakura, who just continued to look uncomfortable.

"I-I suppose…I didn't really have the time to inquire as to the details," the other replied, smiling with a slow shrug. "It sounds like a good time. I thought perhaps we could meet up after school and go together?"

Joey couldn't help but wince as he looked back at the birthday boy's name printed in script at the very top on the invitation. He liked Mokuba well enough, he supposed, but the mere act of reading the name 'Mokuba Kaiba' brought immediately to mind the personage of another Kaiba who he didn't care for nearly as much. The more stared at the thing, the more he filled with very uncelebratory emotions, until he was shaking his head with such vigor that it was beginning to make him dizzy.

"…Don't sound like that great a time," he muttered and flicked the invitation at his lunch tray. The back of his neck pulsed. "'Sides, I gotta be back here tonight to work the closin' shift." He could almost feel his back aching pre-emptively when he remembered that he'd be having to mop.

"Come on, Joey!" Yugi startled the blond by scooting closer and grabbing his arm. Joey thought that kind of hopeful expression should be illegal. Yugi was pretty intelligent, but he had this way of persuasion…

"Mokuba might be a little bit younger than us all, but he's never done anything bad to us, right?" The wild-haired boy smiled simply. "If he went to all the trouble to invite us, he must really want us to come. I have a feeling we're probably his only friends."

"…Oh." Joey cursed inwardly. That was probably the case. He couldn't imagine the kid could have much of a social life with that arrogant snobby stick-up-the-ass prick of a billionaire richboy brother.

"Kaiba'll be there," he retorted, voice more resolute than it had been throughout the entire conversation. "Won't be good if I go."

"Well it's not Kaiba who brought the invitations," Tristan finally piped up from across the table. "The kid's probably hitting his rebel stage and trying to get away from Kaiba by delivering them himself."

Joey groaned. Everything they were all saying was probably true. Mokuba definitely wasn't a bad kid; in fact, despite his obvious intelligence, he seemed a lot more down to Earth than his elder brother did, and more likeable in a lot of ways, too. The fact that they were the only ones he knew of to get invitations to his party also gave him pause; did the boy really not have any other friends? Shouldn't he be hanging around with other kids his own age? Maybe he should go to the party…Lonely birthdays were the worst.

"We could make a night of it," Bakura suggested softly from his spot next to Joey, pressing his palms together. "And bring…pizza, or something to eat. Maybe he'll want to play Duel Monsters with us."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Yugi agreed and looked over at Joey, who stared flatly back at his friend with an unconvinced expression. Were they seriously trying to talk him into this? Joey didn't even want to think about what weird creepy den of Blue Eyes White Dragons Kaiba's mansion might turn out to be. How could that guy live in a normal house when he didn't even seem like he slept or ate or did anything normal?! He had seriously been considering for awhile whether or not it might be possible that Kaiba had somehow engineered himself.

"Come on Joey! It won't be fun if you're not there. I bet Mokuba would love to duel you. You're one of the top Duelists around."

Joey spat accidentally at that. "Pffft. Yeah right, Yug'. Kaiba probably tells him every day to stay away from the mutt so he don't get fleas." He heard laughter and looked over at the other end of the table.

"Yeah, REAL funny, Dice-Boy." Why fate wanted to get him in a dog suit so badly, he would never understand…

"…Joey," Yugi sighed and leant his elbow on the table. His eyes looked a little sharper than usual, and the blond began to wonder if Yami was listening in, or maybe even starting to come out. He still thought that was kind of creepy.

"I think you need some time to relax. Kaiba probably won't be around anyway. I mean, can you imagine him at a birthday party?" the boy reasoned, putting a hand on his friend's upper arm. "We probably won't see Kaiba at all. We'll just get something to eat and spend a couple of hours with Mokuba. I bet Kaiba's house has some really cool video games, or at least a big screen TV. We could probably watch a movie or something, if he doesn't have anything planned. Don't you think it would be at least a little bit fun?"

At this point, Joey was weighing his options. If Kaiba wouldn't be breathing down the backs of their necks the whole time like the cyborg he swore he was, he supposed he wouldn't mind going. The few times their group had spent with Mokuba in the past had been all right. As obviously as Mokuba cared about his elder brother, he wasn't very much like him. Maybe it would be sort of fun to go hang out and have pizza and play games. It would probably be just like hanging out with their usual gang, now that he thought about it, except with the addition of a birthday boy.

"…I'll have to take a shower first," the blond eventually relented and sighed, able to feel the grease in his hair. Spending the night at your best friend's house and sleeping in your school uniform didn't do much for promoting a level of hygiene appropriate for a birthday party.

As many smiles as Joey felt on him, the knot in his gut wasn't going away.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I expect that these chapters will keep getting longer, so please don't be discouraged by the brevity.

So much for this being a three-shot. Apparently it's turning into a longer story, since we still aren't at our main focus yet…Ah, well. That will give me more time to develop it. As I'm sure you can tell, though, the Seto and Joey interaction is creeping up fast.

I'm always curious about how other people see Puppyshipping as a couple. What sorts of interactions do you think they would have together? How do you picture them acting? If you'd like to let me know, by all means go ahead. I'm curious about how people interpret the couple.

Stay tuned!


	3. III

**Closing Dog**

by **icypinkpop **

Pairing: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: All rights to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, sexuality, boys being boys. Will add more later if I think of them.

Author's note: This'll probably be a few-parter fiction, hopefully long enough to be moderately entertaining. Might get lengthier if I find myself in the mood to expand on what's there.

It's so hard for me to keep away from the Puppyshipping. Characterization can be difficult, especially for boys as stubborn as this, but I'll try my best to keep them somewhat true to their personas. I think one of the reasons I like to write for this pairing so much is because I tend to see the couple differently from how they're portrayed in a lot of fan creations- I see the couple a certain way and I like to express my take on it through writing. Enjoy!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Aw, man!"

"He got you, Tristan!"

"No fair!"

"Hahaha!"

Thrusting himself up from his desk chair, Seto Kaiba strode across the room swiftly and pushed his door completely shut with an audible BANG. Irritation quelled momentarily when the offending noises quieted, the blue-eyed executive returned to his desk and purposefully sat back down, slumping slightly and folding his arms over the edge against his laptop.

Parties. He had never liked parties, or social gatherings in general, but the particularly bothersome thing about the party going on downstairs was that this party happened to be in HIS house. The CEO was used to gatherings, ones of the formal kind where a bunch of men in suits would get together and talk business. He didn't particularly enjoy those either, but least those types of events usually had a protocol he was familiar with; you spoke about economics and corporate regulations. You kept a straight face and shook hands.

"Ohohoh! Watch out, he's got you cornered now!"

"Shut up, man! I've still got a hundred and fifty life-…oh…"

The laughter that rose through the floorboards was enough to make his temples twinge. Aware that his productivity was decreasing to dangerously low levels by this point, he stood up again and began pacing beside the door. On one hand, his brother was thirteen now, so he supposed some sort of…celebratory measures were in order, but really? It had to go on under his roof?! Those stupid loudmouth geeks eating his food, making a mess, and probably tearing his house apart in general. He didn't even want to think about the wreckage he would run into the moment he left the safety of his study and went down those stairs, particularly at the hands of…

"Aw, man, he's almost got ya! Hey Mokuba, dibs on duelin' ya next!"

The mutt.

Pausing to rub his temples, Seto glared firmly at the carpet. Of all the people Mokuba had to invite to his birthday party, had he HAD to go and invite that bunch of dweebs?! As much as he disliked that deceptively skilled little Yugi, the mutt was the absolute worst of them all. He was obnoxious, lazy, always gloating when he had no skills to back it up. Whenever Seto saw the blond, the latter was either snoozing off somewhere, goofing around stupidly or trying to pick a fight. Any interaction with him was, at least partially, painful. He couldn't abide by somebody who had never worked a day in his life and still made himself out to be such a big deal. He supposed he did get a little satisfaction out of bringing the dog down to his rightful level, however.

Rolling his eyes as a chorus of laughter broke out beneath the floorboards, the CEO pulled his door open and slammed it behind him again, striding quickly down the steps and into the living room. He surveyed the scene distastefully to find the familiar group clustered around the wide coffee table across from the plain black leather sofa. His brother was sat at one end and looked rather pleased with himself, and the pyramid-haired dweeb was slumped listlessly at the other while the rest of them leaned against one another and laughed raucously. As usual, one distinct voice stood out from the group.

o~o

"Payback time, buddy," Joey smacked his hand on Tristan's back and grinned at him sneakily, having to hold back his snickers. He had to admit, it was really amusing seeing Tristan lose a card game to someone who was barely a teenager. Mokuba hadn't even seemed to be breaking a sweat. "That's what ya get for always makin' fun of my duelin'!"

"Zip it. At least I don't make stupid bets before I duel and end up wearing a dog suit when I lose," his friend replied, a smile creeping onto his face. Inexplicably, Joey's usual hotheadedness didn't get the best of him at that, and he grinned in response. His mood had done a total 180 since he had shown up at this place. While he hadn't seen much of the house, Mokuba had first settled them comfortably in the living-room area and turned on the radio as they dished up the pizza and soda Bakura had brought along. For the past hour or so they had each been taking turns dueling one another; the first match between Bakura and Duke had been rather uneventful, since the white-haired boy had, for whatever reason, surrendered halfway through and run off to the bathroom complaining of stomach cramps. Once that had come to an anticlimactic end, they had decided to start challenging the birthday boy one by one, to Mokuba's apparent delight. Tristan had been the first casualty, but even he had been chuckling at his own miserable performance as they fought for the last pizza slices and dropped ice cubes down the backs of one another's shirts. At one point, Duke had attempted to sing along to the song playing on the radio; to keep a long story short, his skills for dice handling were better. Joey's sides still hurt from laughing so hard.

Yugi had been right. This had been a good idea.

"All right, step aside, ya scrubs, me next," he demanded and reached into his coat pocket, feeling around for a moment before pausing. Where was his…

"Right here, Joey."

"…Ah, right, yeah." Joey took the little cardboard box from his best friend and smiled sheepishly. He had forgotten that he had stayed at Yugi's house the night before, and that Yugi had boxed up his deck for him so it wouldn't go loose in his pants pocket like it normally did. What had he done to deserve friends like these?

"Thanks pal. Now, YOU!" Pointing swiftly at the teen-of-the-hour and narrowing his eyes in mock challenge, Joey opened the end of his box and slid his cards out with a grin, happy to see it returned. "You better shuffle your cards good, kid! 'Cause Joey Wheeler's gonna-"

"Get the hell out of my house."

Joey froze instantly. Smile dropping from his face, he slowly glanced over to the stairwell, immediately spotting the tall figure he had hoped he wouldn't have to be dealing with today. Man…he had been just starting to enjoy himself.

"What do you want, Kaiba?" he asked warily and sat up, tensing all over. He should have known he would be here. This was his house, after all. The CEO was definitely standing there like he was showing off his ownership of the place, what with that cocky, self-important stare and that big stupid coat that stuck out in the back…Within a few moments, Joey's good mood was totally soured. The elder Kaiba didn't seem to spend as much time considering him in return, however, and glanced down pointedly at the younger heir instead.

"I thought I told you to keep them quiet."

"Seto!" Getting to his feet from where he had been sitting on the floor, Mokuba looked up at his brother with a surprising frown. "We weren't being that loud. It's my birthday. You said I could have friends over!"

"Correct." Striding over a few paces, Seto cast a disgusted look at the rest of the group that made Joey's head steam. "I did say that. I do not recall, however, saying you could let them scream down the house with their noise three weeks before the start of the corporation's busy season."

"…Sorry if we interrupted your work, Kaiba," Yugi butted in politely from where he had been leaning against Ryou Bakura, giving the brunet one of those simpering smiles that Joey thought was way too good for that bastard. "We didn't realize you'd be here. We thought we had the house to ourselves."

"Oh yes, of course," Seto replied sharply, practically cutting the shorter off as he assumed a position with his hands on his hips. "It would be foolish of you geeks to think that I might be in my own house on a week night. How silly of me."

"Watch it, pal." Joey instinctively stood up and glared, starting to seethe. What a jerk, saying something like that to his best friend! He felt a hand on his arm and turned, looking down at Yugi.

"Joey, calm down," the shorter warned, worried eyes angering him even further.

"No way, Yug'. Not 'til this creep-" he looked pointedly at Seto, narrowing his brown eyes. "-shows ya some respect." Joey felt those cold eyes staring him down and glared back hotly, fist clenched at his side combatively. However, as soon as they had grazed over him, the eyes left, turning back to the younger Kaiba.

"I also don't remember giving you permission to bring a stray dog into the house."

"Hey!" Joey strode forward and felt hands on his upper arms holding him back. Old gang-style habits kicking back in hard, he strained against the grip and brandished his fist at the multimillionaire. Several voices rang out behind him, but the blood was rushing in his ears loudly enough to drown them mostly out. When someone insulted you or your friends, you fought back. You just did. Joey Wheeler wasn't going to take this lying down.

"Let it go, Joey!"

"You shut your face with the dog names, Rich Boy!" he shouted, breaking one wrist free of Tristan's grip and pumping it out threateningly. "We're tryin' to have a good time and you're ruinin' it!"

"Keep your pet on a leash, Yugi," Seto quipped in response, looking down at Joey over the bridge of his nose like he was something sticky on the bottom of his shoe. "I'm afraid animals aren't allowed in this establishment. Especially ones that drool this much and don't know when to quit barking."

"I said shut ya mouth!" Chomping at the metaphorical bit, the blond tore out of Tristan's grasp and stepped forward, shoving himself up within mere inches of Seto and glaring daggers at him in his rage. If Kaiba was going to say that kind of stuff to him, he was going to back it up! Oh, how Joey wanted to wipe that smug look off his face!

"That's right, hotshot! I ain't scared o' ya! Put 'em up!"

"Joey! Stop!" Whoever's voice it had been, the warning fell on deaf ears.

Finally, Kaiba looked down at him. Slightly victorious, glad he had gotten the brunet to acknowledge his proximity, Joey cocked his head up challengingly, staring him down.

"You don't want to tangle with me, mutt," the CEO replied lowly, dangerously. Joey almost got a chill at his tone of voice, but shook it off within seconds. The only time the two of them had ever shared this kind of physical confrontation, Kaiba had gotten the best of him, but it had really just been the result of Joey's own unpreparedness. He knew Kaiba a lot better now, and he had a feeling he could take him. No, he knew he could.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you'd like to stop talkin' and prove it, ya stuck-up has-been!"

"That's enough, Joey!" Surprised to feel a pair of barer arms encircle his waist and pull him back, he glanced back and looked into the large green eyes that stared back flatly. Duke shook his head from side to side, earrings swinging as they dangled.

"Let it go, man. He's not worth it. He's trying to get to you."

"Duke's right," Yugi replied and put his hand on Joey's shoulder, having to reach up noticeably in order to do so. "Don't let him rattle you."

Even as Joey felt himself being physically held back, he couldn't help but give the elder Kaiba his most poisonous stare. His head was beginning to hurt particularly fiercely now. Just a few minutes ago he had been laughing, with a full belly and a happy smile, and this self-righteous scumbag just felt it was necessary to come completely trash their fun?

Slowly, Seto's flat expression turned up into that horrible smirk that Joey knew and loathed. The master of the house the turned around, as if to go back up the stairs.

"Just keep it down or get out. I don't have the time to waste on your nonsense. You and those geek friends of yours get on my nerves enough when you're staying out of my way."

Tearing free of the restraints, the blond stepped forwards aggressively and reached up, grabbing the Kaiba by his collar and tugging him down roughly.

"You keep your mouth shut about my friends and fight me like a man, KAIBA!"

The CEO looked down and stared Joey in the face intensely, almost enough so to make the latter loosen his grip in surprise. Holding firm and glaring, the blond stared his opponent down and grit his teeth, daring him to make good on his earlier threat. Before he could get sufficiently ready for that, however, he found himself suddenly teetering on his heels, shoved back by the man's outstretched hands.

"Keep your paws off me, you mongrel," Seto hissed venomously in reply and turned away, seemingly done with the confrontation. Practically shaking with rage, Joey could only watch as he took a couple of steps up the stairs, only to look back in surprise when the brunet set his eyes right back at him. He twitched, even as he felt Yugi come to his side. Kaiba just leered back.

"Loser."

Something snapped inside him. Before he knew it, Joey had practically lunged from the coffee table to the banister and had his fist poised up behind his head. He spotted a flash of surprise on Kaiba's face and, overcome with nothing but rage, swung.

For the first time in years, his knuckles were struck with the familiar sensation of bone under flesh. Acting on instinct, he threw his weight to strengthen the blow and hopped backwards to regain more stable footing, rushing in his ears suddenly replaced by an eerie silence. Blinking rapidly, trying to process what had just happened, he glanced back at the group standing stock-still behind him, greeted by four open mouthed, wide-eyed faces.

"…" Brain finally catching up, he turned quickly towards the foot of the stairs and stepped backwards in his own surprise, watching as Seto Kaiba, CEO to the Kaiba Corporation and one of the most powerful men in Domino City, staggered backwards with a hand clutched over his eye.

Oh…He'd…Oh man, he'd really…

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Suddenly, Joey felt himself hanging. He looked up in shock to find his shirt being grabbed by the CEO's free hand and widened his eyes, mouth going dry.

"Take your group with you, Wheeler! Leave NOW Or I will pick you apart LIMB FROM LIMB!"

Only then realizing the magnitude of what had just happened, Joey opened his mouth to say or shout something when he felt dual pairs of hands on his wrists. Looking down, away from the close-up view of a face he had rarely seen in that kind of proximity, he looked into the pair of startled purple eyes that looked back at him.

"Come on, Joey!"

"Yeah, man! Let's get out of here!"

Before he knew it, he could feel himself being practically dragged away, warm bodies behind him and at each of his sides as he was pulled towards the hallway leading to the exit. Mind reeling, he glanced back instinctively, the edge of a white coat twirling out of his vision and up the stairwell. His breath hitched at the sight of Mokuba standing near it, face undeniably showing the signs of upset.

Fist pulsing a little, Joey glanced down at his red knuckles as he was whisked out the door, aware he'd be holding a mop later that night.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Uh oh. Joey you fighter. xD

It's been a while since I've written a story in which there are switches in POV, but I think it can be sort of interesting. I think it can be nice to hear each character's take on what's going on.

Please do stay tuned, folks!


	4. IV

**Closing Dog**

by **icypinkpop **

Pairing: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: All rights to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, sexuality, boys being boys. Will add more later if I think of them.

Author's note: This'll probably be a few-parter fiction, hopefully long enough to be moderately entertaining. Might get lengthier if I find myself in the mood to expand on what's there.

It's so hard for me to keep away from the Puppyshipping. Characterization can be difficult, especially for boys as stubborn as this, but I'll try my best to keep them somewhat true to their personas. I think one of the reasons I like to write for this pairing so much is because I tend to see the couple differently from how they're portrayed in a lot of fan creations- I see the couple a certain way and I like to express my take on it through writing. Enjoy!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Something had landed in his hair. It felt light, but he was sure it was there. It wasn't heavy enough to make him want to raise his head up, however, so Joey kept his cheek pressed against the cold surface of the desk, brows twitching above his closed eyes.

"Joseph Wheeler."

Groaning, the addressed sat up abruptly and felt the weight from before scraping down over the side of his cheek and falling into his lap. He wearily looked down at the stapled packet sitting between his thighs, pupils dilating at the big red numbers.

**40**

"I'm afraid that makes extra work for you, Mister Wheeler." A second packet, this one larger, went plunking down onto the surface of his desk, much to his absolute horror. "I'm requiring you to do these extra problems to earn back some points. You failed by twenty-five percent. I'm going to have to force you to put more time and effort into my class."

Dread creeping into his shoulders and down his back, Joey reached out for the two offending papers and wearily shoved them into his backpack. He felt eyes on him and glanced warily over, swollen cheek smarting as he looked over with an exhausted expression at his best friend. He wasn't there.

The bell rang. Standing up immediately, feeling as if the walls were closing in on him, Joey slung his pack over his shoulder and all but shoved his way past his glasses-wearing physics professor and through the door before anybody had the chance to stop him. Avoiding the line of exiting students heading in the other direction, he stepped out through the main entrance and made his way down a few of the steps. He panted, taking a few breaths before sitting down.

Another F. Not just an F this time, either, but a REALLY bad F. Physics really wasn't his thing. Well, high school wasn't his thing in general, but he was really trying. He always did his homework, always studied for exams, and that kind of stuff. He just…wasn't good at it. No matter how many times he tried to do practice problems or read a textbook, he got too fed up to finish through, or something else got in the way. Working thirty hours a week wasn't helping either.

"…" Groaning, Joey let his head sink into his hands and brought his knees up, resting his non-inured cheek against them. He knew his father was going to freak out when he heard about this. It wasn't like the elder Wheeler really even seemed to care much about Joey getting good grades; rather, he seemed more concerned about pointing out the fact that Joey wasn't good at anything he did. If his old man could find some excuse to rip on him, something to yell about, some blame to push on him, he would, provided he was awake. He always had. Joey's cheek stung extra hard when he thought about all the beer bottles that he'd have to clean up again soon, lest they start overflowing the living room and rolling towards the kitchen like they had before.

"Joey."

The blond sat up suddenly and glanced over, startled out of his thoughts. He came face-to-face with another person sitting right beside him on the steps and opened his mouth to try and give Yugi some kind of explanation when he noticed the small but obvious changes in his appearance, tired eyes grazing over the sharp gaze and raised blond locks.

"…Yami?"

Yami merely nodded back at him, tacit as he often was. Joey stared back in confusion, pretty ashamed to be seen in such a vulnerable position. He was glad when he was relieved of having to start the conversation.

"Are you all right, Joey?"

He wasn't sure how to respond. That was one of the things about Yami; as well acquainted as they had become over the past couple of years, he was still a great deal more mysterious than the boy whose body he inhabited, not to mention the rest of their gang. Joey always got the feeling that there was more to his words than initially met the ear. As much as he liked and trusted him…

"…Not sure I wanna talk about it," he replied with a sigh and let his head hang again, staring at the steps. Something struck him.

"How'd you know I'd come out here? 'S lunch time, ain't it?"

"I had a gut feeling," the deep voice said in reply. Joey did manage a little bit of a smile at that. Instinct was one thing Yami surpassed the rest of their friends in steeply.

"Where're the others?" He raised his eyes to see Yami shrug, a little bit glad to see the spirit seemed to be looking off into the distance rather than at him.

"Most likely waiting for us. I didn't anticipate you would enjoy an audience."

Joey's mouth dropped open a little at that. It was a little scary how well Yami seemed to understand how he was feeling. The thought of all those faces staring at him with concern right was enough to make him want to hit something.

"Well, you're right about dat," he replied with a sigh and glanced up, watching as the purple eyes moved towards him. Cheeks a bit red, he held up the failed attempt at an exam for Yami to see, further glad not to see any particularly shocked reactions when something hit him.

"…'s Yug' listenin' in there?" he asked warily, suddenly aware that he might be having a conversation with one person and not two. He still wasn't entirely sure how that worked.

"No," the spirit replied calmly. "I've closed the mind link. I assured him it wasn't anything he needed to concern himself with yet." Yami's eyes moved to the paper and he nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything.

Glad to hear he wasn't being listened to but otherwise not feeling much better, Joey crossed his legs on the steps and shoved his exam back into the bag. "I jus'…I dunno what to do!" he suddenly burst out, all of his emotions and thoughts of the past twenty-four hours rushing back at once. The last few days had been the weirdest blur, the night before being the absolute strangest. He was failing exams left and right. His cheek was throbbing from his latest father-son event, when he had been alerted to the fact that they were out of beer. He was pretty sure his back was out from the last time he'd been made to scrub the entire Gym floor last Wednesday night. He'd…_hit_ Kaiba. He'd really HIT him! He'd given that guy a real sock to the face! It almost scared him a little, thinking about that. On one hand, it felt pretty damn good! He'd wiped that smug little grin right off his lips, hadn't he? Still…

He shifted on the steps, slowly coming to realize what had been bothering him since the night before. Joey hadn't hit anybody in a long time, not in that kind of aggressive way. Sure, he wrestled around with Tristan often, but he hadn't physically attacked anyone for years; not since he had been involved even more deeply with the rougher parts of his neighborhood, pickpocketing, sleeping where he could and roughing up more than a few unfortunate strangers for their wallets. Back then, he had become pretty accustomed to standing up for himself with fists instead of words; people usually shut up and listened if you hit them hard enough. Joey had to wonder if that resolution on life had stayed with him, even up until now. He had thought that becoming good friends with Yugi and making an effort in school would have remedied that…

"Kaiba wasn't in school today," Yami broke the silence, as if reading Joey's mind. The blond sat up suddenly. Somehow he hadn't realized, but…he was right. That prick hadn't been in his usual corner seat during class.

"…" He couldn't help his grin. Teeth showing from between his lips, he smirked victoriously and chuckled. "Guess it wasn't so bad then, huh?!" he laughed a little, quieting when Yami didn't seem to return his sentiments. Aw, man…That had been his first laugh today and now it was gonna be his last.

"You might want to be careful, Joey," the spirit stated, eyes moving to gaze right at him. "Seto Kaiba is relatively powerful in this city. He could make your life very difficult for you."

_As if it wasn't difficult enough already, _Joey's mind finished sourly. Yami was right, though, come to think of it. He hadn't even considered the repercussions of getting one in good on Seto Kaiba, but there was definitely a reason he hadn't seen anybody else do it, and it wasn't like it was because the guy had a charming personality.

"Heh, what could he do?" he forced out a chuckle and shrugged, smile returning to his face. "What he got to take from me? He's got enough money, dontcha think? What's he gonna do, gimme a real dirty look? Ooh, I'm shakin'. I'm not scared o' him!"

"I'm just not certain how things could play out," the spirit replied once Joey had finished. The blond didn't think he looked particularly concerned, which was probably good…Yami did look a little uncertain though, which wasn't very reassuring. "I would advise that you treat the situation with caution and rectify any damage that you might have done."

Joey wanted to roll his eyes, but didn't. He knew better than to disregard the things that Yami said, even if he (admittedly) had shaken off Tristan or Duke's advice on several occasions.

"…All right, I give. I'll watch myself. Still don't think I have nothin' to worry about." Suddenly getting a feeling he knew what Yami was getting at, he looked up abruptly and stared.

"I ain't apologizin'!" he insisted and folded his arms, glaring. "He started it, so he had it comin'. That jerk can deal with a little bruise!"

"I'm certain he can," Yami replied quietly, red-purple eyes flicking up and effectively snaring Joey in their stare. Joey paused. Something wasn't right….

"I was rather thinking of Mokuba."

Mokuba…

"AW MAN!" Joey threw his arms up and grabbed onto his head in shock. How had he forgotten?! He had been why he had been at the Kaiba mansion in the first place! He had been so wrapped up in serving that bastard his just desserts that-

"I forgot!" Groaning, Joey buried his face in his hands and shook his head, hair messily fanning out around his cheeks as he did so. "I just beat the crap outta the kid's brother on his birthday! What was I thinkin'?!"

The slightly flat expression he got in response made the message clear: 'You weren't.'

Shoulders sinking, the blond buried his face in his knees and clenched his fists in frustration, instinctively wanting to hit something. He couldn't believe he had been that thoughtless. All that had been on his mind was smacking that stupid look right off Kaiba's stupid Rich-Boy face. He hadn't even realized Mokuba had been there watching him do it…As much as he despised the CEO, he really did like Mokuba. Hell, even if he didn't like him, he couldn't make a kid see that! Joey himself had been exposed to way too much of that kind of thing when he was younger, what with learning the best ways to dodge beer cans and avoid cigarette burns. The last thing he wanted to do was force some poor kid to deal with the repercussions of that kind of violence…

"…What am I supposed to do now?" he asked helplessly and looked up at the Pharaoh painfully, sitting up slightly when he realized that the sharp eyes he had been watching had become softer and noticeably more rounded. He opened his mouth clumsily and felt a slight sense of relief when the bell rang, effectively cutting off whatever stupid words had been about to come out.

"…I'll see ya in Biology, Yug'," he said once the sound had come to a halt, throwing his book-bag over his shoulder and walking resignedly back up the steps before the other could stop him. He headed quickly to a drinking fountain to splash some water over his face and stared at his foggy reflection in the metal of the spout, finding it hard to get his feet to move anywhere. He had to do something…He couldn't let that kind of thing just go unsolved. He was bigger than that.

His temples pulsed. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was at Kaiba, as well as himself. That scumbag piece of trash had provoked him into it, surely aware the whole time that Joey would react that way to defend himself and his friends. Joey knew he should have shut his mouth and brushed it all off, but that didn't change the fact that Seto Kaiba was such a cold-hearted bastard that he would knowingly cause a scene like that at his brother's birthday celebration!

"Nngh!" Joey stopped himself mid-frustration-kick at the wall and slumped, taking his battered cell phone out of his pocket and staring at it to find the time. He clicked absently at the worn-down buttons and navigated his way into his CONTACTS list, spotting one particular name immediately, the one that belonged to the person that he wasn't sure he'd ever talk to again.

_Mai…_

Angry at the world and suddenly more tired than he had been in a long time, he shoved his phone into his pocket and ducked out the back exit intended to be used as a fire escape route, breathing in a lungful of fresher air as he trudged his way towards his apartment with his hands in his pockets.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Oh, so NOW you realize, Joey. XP

Stay tuned, gentle reader. I promise it will get better.


	5. V

**Closing Dog**

by **icypinkpop **

Pairing: Seto Kaiba/Joey Wheeler

Disclaimer: All rights to Kazuki Takahashi.

Warnings: Language, sexuality, boys being boys. Will add more later if I think of them.

Author's note: This'll probably be a few-parter fiction, hopefully long enough to be moderately entertaining. Might get lengthier if I find myself in the mood to expand on what's there.

It's so hard for me to keep away from the Puppyshipping. Characterization can be difficult, especially for boys as stubborn as this, but I'll try my best to keep them somewhat true to their personas. I think one of the reasons I like to write for this pairing so much is because I tend to see the couple differently from how they're portrayed in a lot of fan creations- I see the couple a certain way and I like to express my take on it through writing. Enjoy!

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

"Have them send up my lunch." Seto Kaiba skidded his thumb across the touch screen over the 'End Call' button, thrusting his phone back into his pocket and sitting down at his desk. For a fleeting moment he glanced up to catch a glimpse of himself in the large mirror that hung on the opposite wall of the office, winced, and immediately looked back down, away from the reflection of the darkening purple-black bruise that had risen up around his eye and cheek.

"Insolent mutt…" He slammed his fist down onto the table at the telltale knocking of the door. Why couldn't anybody just leave him alone?!

"Leave it outside!" he shouted out, waiting until the scuttling footsteps had died into silence before leaving his desk chair and pacing to the door. Pausing, the CEO stared hardly at the handle before yanking it open and pulling the cart into his office, quickly slamming the door shut once more. For a moment he considered finishing his meal while he worked at the computer, as he usually did, but the light shining off his computer screen suddenly stung his eyes so maddeningly that he had to look away. Squinting, he instead wheeled the cart to the sofa at the opposite end of the room and sat, placing his tray on the coffee table and sighing.

His hand twitched as he looked at the phone.

Seto had no idea why he was so unsure of what action he should be taking. How easy would it be to call up security and have them hunt down Joey Wheeler? He couldn't be difficult to find, what with that stupid bright blond head and the obnoxious yelling. No, it wasn't that he thought his staff incapable of making Wheeler sorry for laying a finger on him. The Kaiba was more than aware that revenge, however strongly desired, had to be balanced with sense. Whatever he did to get back at that obnoxious amateur, he wouldn't allow himself to descend to the level of an uncontrolled ruffian by screaming his rage out for the world to hear or staking Joey out himself.

Suddenly realizing that he was beginning to slump, Seto stiffly rose back up into a normal sitting position and reached for the sandwich swiftly. His eye panged again, as if mocking him, and he set it back down, reaching up to touch his cheek with gritted teeth.

Wheeler had crossed the line. Somehow, in addition to contributing a strong unwanted presence into his home and causing a completely humiliating scene, the incident had done more than inconvenienced him. It crept into his thoughts every day at the office, at work, through lunch, in bed at night. It was just so incredibly difficult to believe that such a simpleton had somehow gotten the jump on him like that…

Grunting, he turned sideways on the sofa and glared hard at the sandwich that he had no appetite for anymore. He would be handling this himself; Joey was going to pay with mind and body for that little stunt. Seto Kaiba wasn't somebody who forgave particularly easily, especially when it wasn't in his interest to do so in any way. What could Wheeler ever offer him besides an easy victory at Duel Monsters, which he despised anyways?

Mouth suddenly feeling bitter, he reached for the bottled water on the lower shelf of the cart and popped the cap open. Suddenly everything seemed unsavory; his lunch, his laptop, the familiar face he kept envisioning in his head. The CEO was starting to wonder which he hated more: the kiss-asses that he had the displeasure of working with on a daily basis, or insolent little punks that foolishly thought they could challenge his authority with no basis to back it up whatsoever. Clenching his fingers around the bottle, he set it back down and stared at the crumpled plastic, blue eyes glaring intensely. Slowly reaching up, he loosened his tie and shrugged his blazer off altogether, tossing it over the back of the couch.

He wouldn't resort to pettiness. Seto Kaiba had earned his success. For as long as he could remember, he had been striving to be the best at everything he did, and it sickened him that he had encountered the misfortune of sharing any time or space with that hoodlum of an amateur duelist, who never seemed to have a care in the world. Yugi was aggravating enough for his own seemingly effortless success, but Joey was in a league all his own. Seto's temples throbbed at the mere thought of that gangly buffoon leaping around, with _his_ duel technology gripped carelessly in one hand like it was a two-dollar burger, thrusting chance card after chance card into the carefully engineered slots and playing roulette with his life-points with every scapegoat and skull dice.

Seto _hated_ when luck defeated skill, or when it even came close. Success was supposed to be the product of dedication, of concentrated effort and hard work. Joey Wheeler had no place in his tournaments, in his school, or in his mind at all. He was a waste.

His eye ached again. A cheap shot, that was all. A cheap shot from a cheap individual, who allowed himself to be led around by his friends like a dog on a leash and yet never seemed to have any undersupply of good fortune.

Pulling out his phone again, Seto clicked his fingers over the touchscreen and checked his schedule for the following Monday. He momentarily considered erasing all events for that day, disregarding the pressure he would have to put on his staff to cancel the meetings and such that were already planned, before shoving the device back into his pocket and looking back at himself in the mirror on the opposite wall across from the sofa.

"Rest assured, Wheeler," he murmured at his reflection, fingers clenching into a fist on his knee.

"Your luck is about to run out."

o~o

Joey really hated hitting his old man. It wasn't something he ever felt comfortable doing; society, of course, was on the side that you weren't supposed to go against your parents, not to mention harm them physically. Self defense was sometimes in order, though, when the guy had enough pent-up rage that he was actually able to lunge out at Joey or catch him by surprise. When that happened, Joey did what he needed to do. This rarely involved doing more than pushing his father off and distancing himself, but sometimes…

Wiping his knuckles on his jeans, the blond shoved a few things from his unmade bed into his backpack and quickly made his way back out into the dark hallway, pushing his way out the front door and checking to make sure he had his keys before making his way down the stairs. He got to the bottom level and headed off directly east, lids fluttering lightly as he walked. Forcing himself to stay awake, he veered off along the edge of the familiar park and, within about twenty minutes, found himself at the familiar glass doors. He noticed the CLOSED sign stuck to the inside and bit his lip, taking ahold of the bells that hung from the knob and jiggling them a bit.

His shoulders slumped in relief when he saw a familiar shadow behind the glass. Taking a breath, he stepped back a little as the door opened, looking down at the familiar purple eyes that stared up understandingly.

"Try to be quiet, or we'll wake Grandpa," Yugi whispered, standing aside to allow Joey into the shop. Nodding in understanding, used to the routine, the taller of the two shut the door behind him carefully and flipped the lock closed. As softly as he could, trying to minimize the squeaking of the soles of his shoes from the masking tape rubbing against the floor linoleum, Joey tiptoed behind his friend behind the curtain behind the counter and up the stairs, up to the top level and past the door into the bedroom he knew as well as he knew his own at his apartment.

"I brought ya somethin'," Joey said quietly once they were within the closed bedroom, crawling onto the bed and setting his bag down on the nightstand. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a packaged chocolate chip cookie, stomach rumbling a little as he bit his lip and held it out.

"…Wanna share it?"

Yugi looked at him tiredly but smiled, nodding. Opening the package, the blond tore it in two and handed his friend the slightly bigger portion, greedily nibbling on his own half. For a few moments, they chewed in relative silence. This was what Joey liked about Yugi. They knew one another so well that sometimes they didn't even have to explain things anymore. The thought of it was a little weird, when he really thought about it, but the experience wasn't weird at all. It was a mutual understanding, and the nonverbal nature of it made it even better. There were some things Joey didn't really want to talk about.

"Joey…" Yugi piped up first, quietly, however, presumably because the walls were rather thin.

"I'm sorry if I shouldn't be asking this, but…" Joey realized he was being looked at with obvious concern and stiffened a little. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. Speaking of things he didn't really want to talk about…

"What were you talking to Yami about earlier?"

Yep. Sighing, Joey toed his shoes off and put his feet up on the bed, holding his knees as Yugi continued to stare at him. Not only did he not want to lie or avoid the subject, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with it. Yugi might have been a little bit less intense than his resident Pharaoh, but he was no less sharp or determined.

"You know…the whole thing with Kaiba," he admitted with a sigh and leaned back against the pillows. Yugi, he noticed, didn't seem surprised.

"I just…I sorta thought I was past all that stuff, Yug', you know?" He held out his hands, completely unable to help the confusion that was rising up inside him. "I thought I was over all that fightin' and stuff! I mean, I'll still think about cleanin' someone's clocks, but…" Frustrated, he let his head sink into his arms.

He couldn't explain it. It wasn't like the thought of punching someone's lights out didn't cross his mind, or even appeal to him at times, but putting his hands on Kaiba that way had been completely out of his usual scope of what he would do. He hadn't done things like that for years.

Feeling a hand on his knee, Joey peered up at his friend sheepishly and wiped some cookie crumbs from his mouth, embarrassed by his own behavior. Yugi, thankfully, didn't look particularly accusatory in his expression.

"…I know you didn't mean to, Joey," his friend replied and turned to lean back against his pillows, still watching him, however. "What Kaiba was saying was really out of line."

"I just…" Suddenly aware of a specific reason for his upset, he took a breath to steady himself.

"You're my best, friend, Yug'. Ya saved me from all that. I don't want ya to…Ya know. I don't want ya to think I'm gonna be like that again. I've got you guys, all my friends!" Realizing in an instant just how much better he should have known, he slumped a little in shame and looked away. He really didn't like disappointing Yugi.

"I'd never think that, Joey."

Looking back, he saw Yugi smiling at him and his heart leapt a little in hope.

"Come on, Joey. You're my friend and I think I know you better than that." Yugi sat up and shifted over closer, allowing Joey to catch sight of his familiar light-blue pajamas with the various planets and stars on them through the darkness his eyes were adjusting to. "You were standing up for me. That's what friends do for each other, remember?"

Sensing a palpable 'but' coming, Joey looked back at his friend's bashful expression, able to see Yugi knew he knew it was coming.

"I'm sort of worried. You know what Kaiba is like. He's…vindictive," sighed the shorter of the two, shaking his head and pulling the comforter up closer to his smaller chest. "You might want to try to avoid upsetting him, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Stupid Kaiba. Joey was glad Yugi hadn't brought up Mokuba, though. He already felt bad enough about that. He was going to have to do something to make it right, or at least show he was sorry. Muttering to himself, the blond forced a half-smile and crawled under the covers, able to feel his knuckles twinging with the bruise that was forming on them as he shoved a fist under the borrowed pillow.

"I'll worry about that later. Ya sound just like Yami, ya know."

Yugi seemed a little like he had smiled at that, but it was hard to tell in the dim light, even with his eyes adjusted.

"G'night, Yug'."

"Good night, Joey."

Even as his knuckles ached and a different set of purple eyes somehow crept into his mind's eye, the lanky teen curled in on his mostly-empty stomach and tried to force his thoughts to quiet. Before he even felt like he had drifted off, however, a loud beep brought him painfully back into consciousness and he sat up instinctively, muscles tense. Slowly peering over at his vibrating cell phone, remembering grimly the three minutes of credit left remaining, he reached out slowly and cleared his throat against the arm of his shirt, raising it to his ear and pushing the button to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Joey." Joey pinched his nose, staring at the curtains that covered the window nearby and how the light from outside was starting to peek out at the edges.

"We need another pair of hands at the restaurant to close tonight. Four to nine-thirty. How's that sound?"

Joey stood up immediately and checked his backpack for bus fare.

o~o

"Order up! Bleu cheese burger with curly fries and a side of slaw, and a porterhouse with mashed potatoes. Oh, they wanted extra ketchup."

Balancing the tray of food precariously off of one shoulder, aware the bottle of ketchup was beginning to slide off the incline, Joey shifted to catch the cold glass against his cheek and turned out from behind the bar, warily stepping along the mostly empty ledge of stools. Spotting his target at the corner, he bent at the waist and carefully set his tray down before the couple seated at the booth, pulling two straws out from the bar apron tied around his waist and dropping them between the water glasses. His stomach growled at the scent of the food (the steak, in particular) and he had to force himself to stand back away from the table, smiling halfheartedly.

"Enjoy, all right?" Glad that neither of the two seemed to want anything else with their meal, Joey spun around and made his way back behind the bar and into the sweltering kitchen, groaning as the smell of hot fries and melting cheese assaulted him. For a moment, he thought he was going to have to physically restrain himself from running back out into the lobby and stealing that steak for himself.

"Can I go on dinner break?" he finally asked, looking up at the short, squat dumpling of a manager who had been inspecting around the hot line.

"Fifteen minutes. Mix up some more LiquiNox first, please," the man replied not unkindly, though Joey couldn't help but groan a little. He really needed to go outside, catch some fresh air, get away from all the food smells. Granted he had some change in his pocket, and he did get fifteen percent off of all the food at Burger World, but…

The blond shook his head. He was saving that change. Joey's usual ritual was to hoard away the coins he accumulated during the week, whether from making small purchases or finding coins in sofas or on sidewalks, and, if he had enough by Friday, to reward himself for the week by buying a double-stacked cheeseburger with extra bacon at Lindy's. He knew he could buy the Burger World equivalent for about a dollar less, but Lindy's burgers were better in every way and he couldn't bring himself to part with that kind of weekend treat. Not to mention they seemed to like him better there than they did where he worked, and would sometimes throw in extra onion rings.

Realizing he was being unproductive, he sighed and dragged himself over to the dish sink, picking up one of the Styrofoam To-Go boxes and scooping up a mass of neon blue detergent. He screwed the top off the carboy and emptied the load into the water, picking up the plastic tube running along the crumby bottom of the sink and plopping it in through the top. The moment it had filled, he screwed the lid back on and ducked out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron as he went and opening the door to the outside.

He sighed as the first rush of cool wind burst in his face. Finally, a break. Joey turned the curb quickly and headed for his usual corner of the parking lot. He felt around in his pocket momentarily for change, eyes on the pavement as he traced the edges of the coins with his fingers, trying to feel out the exact number of quarters, nickels and dimes he had and clumsily calculating how many more he would need before Friday to have his usual burger. He stuck his tongue out the side of his lips as he concentrated. Five cents, ten, twenty-

Suddenly, he slammed into something. Hard. Reeling on his feet and staggering backwards, barely managing to catch himself on his heels as he scrambled back along the cement and sucked in a swift breath, the blond tensed immediately and looked up, hands instinctively raising up in front of his chest in self-defense. Wha-

"Apologies, sir," replied the tall man who suddenly stood across from Joey, black suit blending in darkly with the black sheen of the car door he stood beside. The waiter's mouth dropped open.

A limousine…

"Uh…" Joey backed up a little, slightly mollified by the man's polished look but also slightly wary of it. At the very least he had not, it seemed, run face-first into an angry street thug, but…

"Joseph Wheeler?" the man questioned curtly, adjusting his dark glasses. Joey nodded in response for lack of anything useful to say, brows rising up into his bangs. Okay, so the guy knew him? This was definitely getting weirder.

"Yeah…who wants to know?"

"A Mister Kaiba requests your presence at his manor. He informed me that you were employed at this…establishment and asked me to come and get you at once."

"Kaiba?!" Suddenly, everything (or, well, most things) fell into place in Joey's mind and his curious look changed to one of distaste. Of course. Who else even had a limo, now that Joey thought about it?

"Look…Whatever he wants, I'm not interested, kapeesh?" Trying to shove the unpleasant thoughts and images from his head completely so he could work out the remainder of his shift, irritated that whatever this was was already cutting into his precious half hour of not-work, he turned around quickly and swallowed back his temper. Purposefully, deciding to take his break indoors, he took a step and froze, feeling an unwelcome tap on the shoulder.

"Mister Kaiba assured me that the matter was urgent," the man continued, voice strained a little with what sounded to Joey like annoyance. Temples starting to throb, the blond turned around and physically bit down on his tongue to keep any potential outbursts down. ALL he wanted was to sit outside of the damn kitchen for a few minutes! Was that too much to ask for? Why did Kaiba have to ruin every possible peaceful moment?!

"Oh yeah? What's that? Rubbin' his wealth in my face?" he spat, turning away again to leave. In the back of his mind, he was confused about how Kaiba had had any clue he even worked there. It wasn't like he advertised his jobs around.

Suddenly, the touch was there on his shoulder again, this time more firmly. Losing his control, Joey spun around and ground his teeth together.

"What're ya, deaf?!"

"Mister Wheeler." Something about the tone of voice somehow made the blond a little more apt to listen. The man in the glasses sounded a little stressed himself, maybe? "I can assure you that I do not get these kinds of demands from Mister Kaiba very frequently. I have given him my word that I will deliver you to the manor so that he can have his business with you. He is not one for frivolous demands and would not do so unless the matter was important. I can also assure you that he is very busy, and likely will not take up much of your time." At that moment, Joey saw someone do something he had never imagined being done for himself before: the man stepped aside and held the door of the limousine open in his direction.

"…" The teenager wiped his suddenly sweaty palms against his waiter's apron, staring at the dark, plush interior of the limousine, the large back area with what looked to be very soft seats, plenty of room to spread his legs out in. Joey thought back momentarily to the crowded bus ride to work after school that day, how some woman's red-haired kid had been playing hide-and-go-seek between his knees while another prodded his shoe with a wad of chewed gum. Shoulders slumping a little, he caved.

"…Just a half hour." What was the worst that could happen? He was trying not to think about it.

Sighing, Joey ducked down enough to get in and sat awkwardly back against what he realized was velvet, vision darkening as the door shut behind him, ears adjusting to the pleasant whirr of the engine as the vehicle rumbled to life.

o~o~o~o~o~o~o

I love YuJo friendship so much. It's my favorite thing about Yugi, really…

I've worked in customer service for too long…can you tell? ;u;

Stay tuned.


End file.
